Electrical connectors can be provided as straddle mount electrical connectors configured to be mounted along an edge of a complementary electrical component, for instance a printed circuit board, such that at least a portion of the electrical connector straddles the edge of the printed circuit board. Straddle mount electrical connectors typically include electrical contacts with mating ends comprised of deflectable beams configured to receive a leading edge of the printed circuit board. Once mounted to the printed circuit board, the electrical contacts of known straddle mount electrical connectors are typically soldered to corresponding contact pads on the printed circuit board utilizing a solder reflow process.
Mounting known straddle mount electrical connectors to a printed circuit board can introduce errors into the manufacturing process of a printed circuit board assembly that includes the printed circuit board. For example, the deflectable beams of the mating ends of the electrical contacts of known straddle mount electrical connectors can scrape, or “snowplow” solder from the contact pads on the printed circuit board. Scraped solder material can reflow to adjacent electrical contacts, causing shorts or shunts in the finished printed circuit board assembly. Additionally, the deflectable beams of the mating ends of the electrical contacts of known straddle mount electrical connectors can impart forces that oppose mounting of the straddle mount electrical connector onto the printed circuit board, which forces can cause the printed circuit board to vibrate, thereby causing other components of the printed circuit board assembly placed on the printed circuit board to become displaced from their respective desired locations on the printed circuit board prior to the solder reflow process.